The Best Rejection I Ever Got

Rejections. They suck.

Yet, writers learn to thrive on them. With each new letter or email blandly stating that, "your work does not fit our current publishing needs" we train ourselves to feel that at least we've tried. Some writers even turn these rejections into badges of honor, keeping thick, but neat file folders full of disappointments.

Once in a while, though, you receive that constructive criticism for which you've longed. You get to finally have the reason for the rejection explained to you. You get some hope.

I did.

I sent a submission to Harlequin. I waited. I expected the standard rejection. Instead, I received a multi-paragraph response specific to my novel. This email took a great deal of time and effort. I believe it will help me in the future. If I could personally thank the person who wrote it, I would.

I know you want to know what I did wrong. I'll tell you. After all, the online writing community is all about aiding each other. I am happy to share my mistakes if it can aid a fellow writer. So, here it goes.

I don't know that it would be wrong to share the actual email, but since I haven't been given direct permission, these notes are paraphrased.

A Novel Half Edited, A Novel Half Written

I haven't updated this blog with anything personal in a while, so I wanted to let you know what has been going on with my writing.

My contemporary romance novel is undergoing a final edit. I am moving the setting to the Sierra Nevada foothills, to a fictional area inspired by the by the towns of Rough and Ready and Penn Valley. The novel touches on fictional issues of nepotism, gossip, and abuse of power in a small town, but is not meant to reflect any person, people, or behaviours of those in government in either of these real towns. As I say, the story line is entirely fictional.

I wanted to reflect the natural beauty of the area and the slower pace of life which conflicts with the protagonists' experiences in LA and San Francisco. I believe that when most people think of California, they picture sunny beaches and movie stars, but that is really such a small part of the state.

I live in a gold rush area, filled with redwoods and pines, scarred by the strip mines, and fed by an abundance of lakes and rivers. This is a place where you may lose cell phone reception, where you can still get lost, where you can hide out in the hills and avoid contact with other people if you chose. It is a place where you can go fishing, boating, or hiking just ten or fifteen minutes from home. There is one sandwich shop in town and one small grocery store. Costco is an hour's drive. It might take even longer if your neighbor happens to be herding cattle up your street or driving a tractor to a friend's house to lend a hand.

I think this unique setting will be of interest to readers and will certainly influence my characters.

As to the novel half-written, I have reached a point where I need to do some serious research to plot the second half. I have not fully researched the War for Independence at this point because inspiration struck and I wanted to get the main plot on paper while it was strong in my head. The war affects the characters and exists in the background, but this is not a war novel. It is the story of a group of people attempting to do what is right, stumbling, disagreeing, and creating anguish in the process. It is about compromise, forgiveness, and respect. So, while I will be learning more about the setting, this is definitely a character-driven novel. I hope to finish it soon.

Let me know if you like these updates and I will post more. You can also follow me on Twitter for tidbits on my writing struggles and triumphs.

Villains

I’ve read many different takes on villains. Some people say they are the second most important character in the novel. Some people say they must be an anti-hero rather than simply a villain. Some people say they are not necessary, and yet others claim they have no place in fiction in this day and age.

            I do not believe any of those statements to be accurate. As with anything in writing, it is too subjective, too dependent on the situation to make any of the broad generalizations bloggers so enjoy. The thing about villains/anti-heroes is that they are fun. In fact, they are often more enjoyable to write than the heroes themselves. For me, it is impossibly easy to get too caught up in them. So, my last novel featured no villain at all. It was a love story and it did not need one. This time, there is a villain of sorts, but he stand as a more of compelling force than such a living, breathing person as my very first villain. He is distant. We do not exactly know his motives (in this draft anyway).

            I also think it depends heavily on genre. A drama is probably going to require a more three-dimensional baddie than a romantic comedy, for example.

            So what do you think? Tell us what genre you write, how you handle the villains, and how of if the two combine.